Chapter 3 Summary

Ryszard and Julian travel to Liverpool, England and board the SS Germanic for their steamship voyage to New York. Bachelor Ryszard asks the married Julian to pretend onboard the ship that they do not know each other, to make it easier for him to meet available young women and to gather material for articles about moving to America he hopes to freelance to magazines. Ryszard fantasizes about winning Maryna away from Bogdan once they reach the New World. Ryszard's curiosity takes him below-deck where he encounters the dark, Dickensian world of steerage where the truly destitute find passage to America.

Below the decks, families are piled together like rats in a cage and Ryszard says he wants to interview some of the passengers for a magazine article. A crewmember introduces him to six young prostitutes, and he picks a 15-year-old girl who is...